Can food be art? Can art be food? These are fun questions to ask in the season of overeating. Maybe if we can see all that turkey and stuffing and pudding and cheese as in some way a work of art, it won't seem so gluttonous.

In the Renaissance, art became more self-conscious – and so did eating. In 16th-century Italy feasts were stylish and polite. Wine was served in elegant glasses. Plates were used and cutlery was coming into fashion. The same bright ideas being applied to art led to the popularisation of salads, bruschetta and tablecloths (all of which are praised by the 16th-century writer Aretino).

Leonardo da Vinci thought so. His notebooks contain thoughts on food as well as foodie shopping lists and recipes. He believed inventive cooking could replace the flavours of meat – for he was a vegetarian.

Leonardo was the first conceptual artist. In the same tradition, Rirkrit Tiravanija serves up food as art. Yet it is chefs who are best at making food feel like a creative game. Cooking and conceptual art go together like sprouts and anchovies (really well: sprouts and anchovies go together brilliantly).

Everyone has to eat. All cooking that aims higher than a boiled egg is an attempt to make an art of a necessity. In this sense it is surely the first art that human beings ever attempted. And it's still the most universal.

Brussels sprouts in anchovy sauce

Cut sprouts in half; fry with garlic in olive oil. Add a jar of anchovies and continue frying. When the anchovies have gone gooey, add sun-dried tomato puree, herbs and chilli powder.